Trundling toy



E. c. FLATMAN. T-HUNDLING TOY.

APPUCATION FILED JULY 29, |9l9. 1,355,459.

mama oct. 12, 1920.A

2 SHEETS*SHEET l.

E. C. FLATMAN.

TRUNDLING TOY.

APPLICATION FILED JULYzQ, 1919.

1,355,459. Patented Oct. 12,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

119 5mm/bez 21 NEST Hmmm( *www UNITED STATES PAT-ENT crei-CE.

TRUNDLING TOY.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 192.0.

Application filed July 29, 1919. Serial No. 314,062.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST C. FLATMAN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of lVayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TrundlingToys, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.A

This invention relates to a trundling toy, and the primary object of myinvention is to provide a toy wagon'of the take-apart class which willaord considerable amuse'- ment to juveniles and at the same time developthe constructive faculty of a child when assembling the parts of thetoy.

Another object of this invention is to provide a toy wagon that may beconverted into a sled and numerous articles or devices other than awagon or sled, the wagon being coinposed of parts which when properlyassembled will provide separate durable toys.

A further object of my invention is to accomplish the above results by atoy embodying interchangeable parts, and all of these parts will behereinafter described and claimed.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein f Figure 1 is alongitudinal sectional view of the toy wagon; V Fig. 2 is a bottom planof the same;

Fig. 3 is a view of the front end of the toy wagon, with the tonguethereof broken away;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal lsectional view of a portion of the toy wagonconverted into a sled; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the same, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a detached front bolster. 4

In the drawings, the reference numerals 1 and 2 denote front and rearaxles respectively having the ends thereof reduced as at 3, and providedwith detachable wheels 4, said wheels being retained on the reduced ends3 of the axles 1 and 2 by transverse pins 5. The axles 1 and 2 arerectangular in cross section and said axles, wheels and other vparts ofthe toy wagon to be hereinafter described are preferably made of wood.

6 denotes a front axle bolster that serves as a fifth wheel member, andsaid bolster is connected to the axle by screws 7 orether fasteningmeans. The confronting connected faces of the axle 1 and the bolster 6provide'a socket 8 for the front eye end of a radius rod 9, and a kingbolt 10 is adapted to extend through the eye end of the radius rod 9 andthe axle and its bolster. Connected to the front side of the bolster 6is a coupling 11 for a pivoted tongue or handle bar 12 by whichV the toywagon may be moved over the ground or floor.

13 denotes the rear axle or body bolster detachably connected to therear axle 2 by screws 14 or other fastening means, and the upper edge ofthe' rear axle bolster has arecess 15, intermediate its ends.

16 denotes a front body bolster having a recess 17 in its upper edge,andits lower edge cut away and shaped, as at'18 to conformv to the upperedge of the', front axle bolster 6, the bolster 6 and 16 cooperating inproviding a fifth wheel actionat the front end of the wagon runninggear.v The holsters 6 and 16 having the ends thereof provided withrectangular arms 19 and the ends of the bolster are provided withopenings 20, while the outer ends of the arms 19 have intersectingopenings 21.l i

22 denotes rlongitudinal parallel runner members that -may have the wearedges thereof bound by metallic straps 23. The upper edges of the runnermembers, contiguous to the ends thereof, have notches 24 to receive therectangular arms 19 of the bolsters 13 and 16, and when the parts areassembled to provide a wagon, the holsters 13 and 16 are placed inavvertical position, as shown 'in Fig. 1, and when the parts areassembled to provide a sled, said bolsters are placed in a horizontalposition, as shown in Fig. 4. The runner members 22, adjacent thenotches 24, are providedwith openings 25' and 26, the former permittingvof screws 27 or other fastening means being used to hold the bolsters inAa vertical position and by placing the same screws or fastening meansin the openings 26 the holsters may be maintained in a horizontalposition.y The radius rod 9 is adapted Lto. have its rear ends connectedto the inner walls of the runner members 22, as best shown in Figs. 2and 4. Y

28 denotes parallel ladders having fixed short rounds 29 andv longdetachable rounds 30. vWith the ladders 28 placed in arallelism andrails thereof contacting-sait. ladders can be placed on the bolsters 13and 16 with thecentral contacting rails of the ladders extending intothe recesses 15 and 17 of the bolsters 13 and 16 respectively, while theouter rails of the ladders rest on the arms 19 at the outer sides of therunner members 22.

31 denotes planks or bottoniboards placed on the rounds 29 of theladders, between the rails thereof and said bottom planks are providedwith openings to receive the upper ends of bolts 32 which have'iiatheads con nected to the inner walls of the runner members 22, asbestshown in Figs. 1 and,

and the planks 31, and the lower edges of the side walls 34areprovidedrwith dowel pins 38 adapted to extend into the openings 21 ofthe arms 19, said arms having the two sets of openings so thatthe bodywalls may be fitted on the arms with the bolsters 13 and 16 either in avertical or horizontal position Vthus permitting of thev body beingmounted on the sled as well as on the wagon, but by reference to Fig. 4,it will be noted that the -body Vside and end walls may be left off' ofthe sled and simply the ladders and lplanks used to form a body on therunner members 22. :To prevent vertical displacement of the bodyrelative to the ladders 28 and the runner members 22, a tie rod 39 isemployed, said tie rodextending through openings in the side walls 34,openings in the rails of the ladders 28 and openings in the flat headsof the bolts 32.

40 denotes canopy bows adapted to have the lowerends thereof mounted insockets 41 provided therefor in the rails of thevladders 28, and saidbows are adapted to supporta canopy 42 of the gipsy or schooner type.The canopy bows l40 are located at the inner walls of the wagon body andthe Vcanopy 42 may be gathered about said bows or carried downwardlyover the walls of the wagon body and gathered thereabout.

43'denotes a cord or cable that may be threaded through openings 44provided therefor in the runner members 22, and this cord or cable maybeused forpulling the sled when the parts of the toy are so assembled. Y

VWith theking bolt 10 extending down wardly through the' body bolster16, asv` Shown in Fig. -3, the tongue 12 of the wagon may be manipulatedtov move the wagon in a desiredrdirection and with the ends of theladders 28 notched, as at 45, the ladders may A scope of the appendedclaims.

be used in conjunction with one of the long rounds 30 to form astepladder. When the toy is constructed as a sled the radius rod 9,shown inFig. 6 may be dispensed with, and when they wagon is constructedon a large scale and it is desired to dispense with the tongue 12 andyet steer the wagon, for instance when a child is on the rear endl ofthe saine propelling it with the feet, as is a common practice, thefront bolster may be reversed, so that the coupling 11 without thetongue 12, will extend rearwardly under the'bedof the wagon. Then, thecord or cable 43 may have its ends threaded through the openings 44 andattached tothe end of the coupling 11. V4`With the cord or cableextending -upwardly at the sides of the wagon bed it is an easy matterto steer or Vguide the front truck of a wagon.`

When referring to screws, bolts, nuts or other fastening means, it is tobe understood that tie rods, winged thumb nuts and other pieces ofhardware may be used, to facilitate taking apart and putting togetherofthe parts of the toy, it being my -aim to causesome labor on the partof the child in assembling the parts of the toy in order to make thesaine interesting and cause the child to learn to properly assemble thetoy for articles desired. p

It is understood that the structural elements entering into myinvention, are sus-V ceptible to such changes as fall within the v YWhatclaim is z*` 1. A trundling toy comprising longitudinal parallel runnermembers, bolsters de-A tachably mounted between said runner ,members andadapted to occupy horizontal positions when said runners are in use,parallel ladders seated on said bolsters, planks Y 'on saidv ladders,means connecting said planks to said runner members adapted to preventvertical displacement of said planks and said ladders, and meanscooperating with the last mentioned means in preventing lateraldisplacement of said planks and ladders relative to said bolsters andrunner members.

2. A toy as characterized in claim 1, vand wherein additional means,including wheels, is associated with said bolsters when lin verticalpositions to maintain said ruimer members elevated relative to asurface. l

3. A toy comprisingaxles provided with wheels, bolsters on said axles,runner meinbers abutting the end of said bolsters and adaptedjforsupporting saidrbolsters in horizontal positions, when devoid of saidaxles, and a detachable Vbody on said bolsters. .Y -V l 4. A ltoy wagoncomprising a Vrunning gear having bolsters which in vertical positionsserve for a wagonl and in, horizontal `positions serve for a sled 'whendevoid Yof the other running gear parts, runner members mounted againstthe ends of said bolsters, and a body on said bolsters.

5. A toy as characterized in claim 4, wherein said body includesladders, planks and Walls detachably held relative to said runnermembers.

6. A toy comprising runner members constantly in vertical planes7horizontal bolsters connecting said runner' members and constantlyassociated therewith and adapted to be turned to vertical planes andsupported by Wheels to maintain the runner members elevated, and planksconnected to said runner members.

7. A toy as characterized in claim 6,'

wherein the bolst'ers are between said runner members and ladders areplaced on the holsters and support the planks relative thereto. v

8. A vehicle comprising a body composed of runner members, front andrear trucks, a coupling carried by the front truck, said front truckbeing reversible so that the coupling may extend between the runnermembers of said body, and means adapted to extend through said bodyrunner members and ,be attached to the coupling of the lfront truck forguiding said vehicle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of tvvoWitnesses.

ERNESTO. FLATMAN.

Witnesses:

KARL H. BUTLER, ANNA M. DORR.

